There has been a British presence on Signy Island (South Orkney Islands) since 1947, when the Falkland Islands Dependencies Survey (FIDS) established Base H in Factory Cove.  FIDS transformed into British Antarctic Survey (BAS) and the Signy research station continued as a wintering base undertaking year-round long term biological research until it was rebuilt and re-purposed in 1995.  It has since been operated by BAS as a summer-only facility for UK and international polar scientists researching climate change related biological research.

Features of this Website

  • Those “Fids” fortunate enough to have spent time living and working on this Maritime Antarctic island have, over the years, come together intermittently at Base Reunions. The most recent Reunion was held in Birmingham in March 2022 to mark the 75th anniversary of the Signy research station. Details of this and previous events are available through the Reunion page.

  • A list of contact details for Signy Fids was assembled from various sources to help in organising the 2018 Reunion in Cambridge. The list has since been considerably expanded.   If you have wintered or have spent summers on Signy please complete the Contact Details form on the Registration page so that your details can be added to our list.  If your details change you can re-enter your new information with the same form.

  • You can post messages to the website on the Submit a Post page.

  • We have set up a secure Archives page to make this information available to help Signy Fids looking for old colleagues and to support future Reunions. If you register your contact details we can provide a password to access the Archive page.

  • Those who have experienced time working on Signy Island will have stories and anecdotes, as well as numerous “grips” of their time South. Some of these stories have been published in Reunion magazines or in the BAS Club newsletter.  These represent only a fraction of the stories and anecdotes of life on Signy that are undoubtedly still out there, so we invite you to submit your literary gems and/or imagery for publication here.  More details on the Stories page.

 

Recent Posts

Signy Sketches
10/09/22

Reunion Magazine
15/02/22

Bob Burton Commemoration
08/02/22